Esperanza Spalding tops Justin Bieber for Grammy, hair

I wished I could have seen Justin Bieber’s face when Jazz bassist, singer and composer Esperanza Spalding beat him out for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist Sunday. Esperanza who? While their music is vastly differently, Spalding and Bieber have attracted attention as much for their hair as for their music. Her hair is so much cooler, though. A few years ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Spalding, a Portland native whose first name means “hope” in Spanish. The Afro-wearing artist blends jazz, world and soul music. Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

Why jazz?

I was playing acoustic bass so the gigs I was getting were related to jazz; people always needed an upright bass. Jazz became a medium and a catalyst to keep playing with different people and discovering different sounds.

Anyone you want to work with?

I’d like to do more with Stevie Wonder and get nitty-gritty with him. Maybe Quincy Jones. André 3000. Ledisi. Yo-Yo Ma. The list is so long.

You entered Boston’s Berklee College of Music at 16 and became a professor there at 20. What was that like?

It was a thrill to be able to share music, but I got put off on the academic setting. It can be limiting when you want to help students flourish.I didn’t really have enough time to be the teacher and mentor I wanted to be. But I’ll come back to teaching later.

Let’s talk about your hair.

It has its own mind. I just let it do what it do. Sometimes it’s an Afro, sometimes it’s not.